Book Review - An American Immigrant

Starting at surface level, Johanna Rojas Vann’s debut novel is a quick, easy, enjoyable read. Melanie Carvajal has always been too Colombian to be American and too American to be Colombian, spending her youth ashamed of all the things her family didn’t have and all the ways she was different from her peers. Never really thinking beyond herself and her goals, Melanie holds her mother at arm’s length and has no interest in visiting her Colombian family, until dire circumstances in the world she has created for herself force her to come face to face with everything she has worked so hard to keep separate from her life. What should have simply been the catalyst to save her career does just that in a way that has no regard for Melanie’s ten year plan. An American Immigrant has plenty to keep the reader turning pages.

Below surface level, though, is where the Rojas Vann truly shines. She writes with passion for the children of immigrant parents and for those parents who risk so much to come to America, knowing what they come to is going to be hard and coming here is going to be difficult, knowing they may be one of the many who don’t survive the journey, and knowing still that all of it means a chance at life they will never remotely achieve by staying home. She explores the ripple effects of one individual’s sacrifice on the generation to come, as well as all those left behind. And she explores the value of getting to know your family’s immigrant story. This novel is one part enjoyable novel, one part love letter to cultural identity, and one part homage to the value to getting to truly know your own immigrant story. I read every page and kept hoping for just one more bit, so I promptly preordered the audiobook and snagged the preorder goodies.

An American Immigrant by Johanna Rojas Vann is available tomorrow (8/15/23) from your favorite local bookseller or online:

Christian Book        Barnes & Noble        Amazon

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.